Fool Me Once
by Theoretical-Optimist
Summary: Aidan Lynch, Former Irish National Seeker, blames Viktor Krum for the end of his career. Written for Round 8 of THC (year three)


House: Gryffindor

Position: HoH

Category: Bonus

Theme: Revenge

Color: Smaragdine

Prompt: [Action] Dropping a glass object

Word Count (excluding header and AN): 1133

Beta: Tigger

AN- Smaragdine is emerald green and was the 2013 Pantone Color of the Year. This story touches upon the damage that repeat concussions can cause. CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy) is a progressive disease often seen in athletes who have had multiple brain traumas. Symptoms can include extreme aggression, paranoia, and impaired judgment.

* * *

"Come on then, Aidan," Deirdre Moran said as she half carried her teammate. "We've got to bring you to the Healers."

Aidan Lynch leaned heavily on both Deirdre and one of the team Beaters, Garrett Connolly. His head was practically vibrating as the pain thrummed through his veins. A thin line of drool and blood leaked out of his mouth and onto Garrett's smaragdineQuidditch robes. The emerald cloth smelled of dirt, blood, and sweat. The aroma made Aidan nauseous.

"That last Wronski Feint really did a number on you this time," Garrett commented as he shouldered Aidan's dead weight. "It's lucky we were able to rack up enough goals that the 150 points that Krum earned didn't matter in the final outcome."

"Krum," Aidan spat. He moaned at the pain that forming words caused but proceeded nonetheless. "Cheat!"

"Don't get me wrong, mate," Deirdre said as they approached the stadium infirmary, "The Bulgarian team is full of cheats. They earned a bunch of penalties and that doesn't even count the ones that Mostafa missed when he was entranced by the Veela. But Krum played it straight tonight. He outmaneuvered you fair and square."

Aidan groaned as his team mates laid him on the infirmary cot. Immediately, Healers began to putter and flit around him.

"You've really done it this time, Lynch," one of the team Healers chastised. "Another concussion. You know we said after the last one that you could not continue to play if you got another concussion."

"Just give me a potion for it," Aidan slurred. "It's the end of the season anyway. I promise I won't fly for at least a month. That's when the Kestrel's preseason starts."

"You don't understand, Lynch," the Healer said. "It's not safe for you to play again. Everytime you crash, you get knocked out for longer and longer. If you crash again, there's no saying that you'd wake up this time."

Aidan felt a soft hand come to rest on his shoulder. Deirdre gave him a supportive squeeze through his smaragdine robes. He shrugged her off.

"I'm not done," he emphasised.

"I'm sorry, Aidan," the Healer said. "But I can not give you medical approval to play. At this point, you have two choices. I can either inform the British and Irish Quidditch League that you are ineligible to play or you can announce your retirement on your own terms."

"Either way, my career is over."

"Don't think of it that way," Garrett encouraged him. "There's plenty of jobs in the Quidditch world for non-players. You could be a skills coach or—"

"Or nothing!" Aidan yelled. He immediately regretted yelling when the action caused him to get sick all over his smaragdine robes.

With a lot of effort, he stripped the solid Quidditch gear off and threw it across the room. The billowing fabric knocked several glass potion vials off the shelf. The shattered as they hit the floor and the potions mixed and let off a plume of toxic gas. The room quickly filled with foul air and the occupants were unable to breathe.

"Evacuate!" cried the Healer. He shot _Incarcerous_ at Lynch to restrain him to the cot before levitating him out the door.

"AHHH!" Aidan screamed as his head pulsed and his body revolted.

Someone shot a _Silencio_ at him, turning his screams inward.

' _This is all Krum's fault!"_ he raved to himself. ' _He did this. He ruined everything._ " He felt the darkness begin to overtake his mind. His last conscious thought before he sunk under was, ' _I will ruin his life, just like he ruined mine.'_

* * *

A few months later, as soon as Aidan was medically cleared to travel, he took an international Portkey to Bulgaria.

He wanted to confront Krum in person. He wanted to see the look on his face when he told Krum that he was filing a formal complaint against the Seeker who had been unfairly awarded Most Valuable Player for the Quidditch World Cup. He wanted to see the despair on the man's face when he realized that his Quidditch career was going to end.

Just as Aidan's had.

When he arrived at the Bulgarian Ministry's Transportation Office, he quickly located the coordinates for the National Quidditch Team's Office. He Apparated, intent on ransacking the building until he found Viktor Krum.

He had dressed in a set of plain robes. He hoped to be able to slip in without arousing suspicion. However, he wished he were wearing his Irish National Team robes. Their smargadine hue always gave him a sense of power and strength. He felt imbued with the Luck of the Irish when he wore them. But the team had required that he return his kit when he retired.

It was just another thing that Krum had taken from him.

Aidan ran through the halls of the Quidditch offices. Finding the Seekers' office, he threw open the door and gagged.

The room was a shrine to the man who had ruined Aidan's life. Framed newspaper articles covered the walls. Viktor bloody Krum winked at him from an advertisement for broom polish. Trophies were lined up in a gigantic case.

Aidan screamed as he flung open the doors to the cabinet and began to hurl the awards. The golden goblets dented as they smashed into the wall. He ripped the silver broom statuettes apart.

Finally, he grabbed the sparkling glass Most Valuable Player Award for the 1994 Quidditch World Cup. Sneering, Aidan spiked the trophy into the ground. He laughed as the precious award shattered into millions of pieces.

When the trophy case was emptied, Aidan carefully stepped over the debris. He rifled through the desk, searching for an address book.

Instead, he found a newspaper clipping and an empty frame. His enemy was standing next to a tall man wearing a fur cloak, but it was the background that made Aidan pause. He'd recognize the Great Hall at Hogwarts any day.

Casting a quick translation spell on the newspaper, Aidan read ' _MVP BULGARIAN NATIONAL SEEKER CHOSEN AS CHAMPION!'_ A scan of the article revealed that the man who had ruined his life was seeking more undeserved glory at the Tri-Wizard Tournament.

Aidan snarled. Hogwarts was impenetrable. He couldn't approach Krum while he was there.

He briefly contemplated filing the complaint without confronting Krum first, but disregarded the idea. He wanted to see his reaction when Aidan took his revenge.

He'd wait until Krum returned to Bulgaria before putting his plan into motion once more. The complaint would negate any good that Krum did in the tournament, ruin his reputation, and bar him from playing professional Quidditch again.

' _Yes,_ ' Aiden thought as he gleefully set fire to the article, ' _I will take my revenge when it's most painful to him. He will lose everything.'_


End file.
